Chapter 203 Jury Experience

Chapter 203: Judge Experience

In the comment section announcing the Golden Flame Award jury members, there wasn't a single supportive message; it was overwhelmingly filled with mockery.

Netizens expressed that if the Golden Flame Award insisted on fairness and justice, they should stick to their path without complaining about the audience not giving them face.

One must finish one's own play, even if it means crying all the way through.

Compared to the judges of the Golden Flame Award, Lu Xu’s appointment to the Controversy Award jury was met with no controversy. To some extent, Lu Xu still wasn’t part of the mainstream film circle; he didn’t belong to any particular faction, only maintaining good relations with directors he had worked with.

But Lu Xu had indeed become a presence that no one could ignore.

After all, the 5.5 billion box office success of "Nightly Astrology" was not long ago.

Fans no longer marveled at “Lu Xu actually...” For Lu Xu, any miracle was taken as a matter of course.

...

"If you become a judge next year, it will be quite a spectacle," Xu Wen forwarded a message to Lu Xu. "It’s just a rumor for now, but 'Family and Country' is expected to premiere during the National Day holiday or early next year."

If it premieres during the National Day holiday, "Family and Country" would certainly be eligible for the Controversy Award next year. If Lu Xu were a judge then... the situation would be quite awkward.

"I wouldn’t do such a thing," Lu Xu raised an eyebrow. "I’ll judge based on the film itself, regardless of who directed it or who acted in it."

This year, Lu Xu did encounter several familiar faces at the Controversy Award. For instance, a movie starring Shao Yao made it to the nominations, but unfortunately, the competition in the Best Supporting Actor category was too fierce, and Shao Yao couldn’t break through.

After serving as a judge and watching so many films, Lu Xu realized how difficult it was to win the Controversy Award. With so many films entering each year and a long list of qualified actors, being seen by the audience on the nomination list was already a significant recognition for an actor.

Lu Xu is a newcomer among the judges, and the award selection process is quite simple, with little responsibility placed on him. As Cheng Chi put it, this is Lu Xu's learning phase: "You'll have to adapt eventually."

Cheng Chi is not a man of many words, and his appearance doesn't suggest he's easy to approach, but he speaks with considerable warmth. When the judges gather, each expresses their own opinions and views. Lu Xu sticks to his own thoughts when he has them, but otherwise, he fully respects the opinions of others.

Since he is new, he maintains the demeanor of a novice.

Lu Xu had previously been involved in the Starlight Awards as a judge. In recent years, he hasn't acted in TV dramas much, so his participation in Starlight Award events has decreased. However, when it comes to voting, he remains actively engaged, and if a production invites him for a cameo, he will help out if he has the time.

The final decision on the awards is indeed made by the judges, but the voting process is not casual. Among the five judges this year, one is particularly passionate about advocating for certain works. To ensure that the pieces he admires win, he has individually approached every judge for discussions.

Lu Xu was the first he approached.

Objectively speaking, after the nomination list was announced, which films and actors were likely to win and which were not became fairly clear. The main point of contention among the five judges centered on two films: "Ugly" and "Innocent Fate."

Lu Xu leans more towards "Ugly." The nominated actor uses her beautiful face to portray a character with a deeply ugly soul, delivering a performance that is both thorough and intense. The ending of the film left a profound impact on Lu Xu. The director dared to shoot it, and the actor dared to perform it, aligning perfectly with the title "Ugly."

The film's name, "Ugly," dictates that the protagonist cannot be a paragon of virtue and beauty.

The lead actress is very beautiful, and her acting can sometimes be overlooked because of it. In "Ugly," however, she gives everything, offering a performance that is both powerful and moving.

"Innocent Fate" is another film that focuses on female characters and has received good reviews throughout the award season. Lu Xu attended an event hosted by the production, and objectively, the lead actress performed well. However, compared to the former, her performance lacks the same level of commitment and is less outwardly expressive.

Of course, this is only relative.

The lead actress of "Innocent Fate" is considered a gem overlooked by the Zhengming Awards. She has been nominated several times without winning and is the oldest and most experienced among this year's nominees. She has worked with almost all the renowned directors and actors in the industry and has connections with all the judges this year.

If she doesn't win this year, her chances of being nominated again in the future will diminish. The film industry has never been kind to actresses, and those who still manage to stand out either create their own opportunities or have box office appeal.

This is indeed a dilemma.

Lu Xu ultimately cast his vote for *Ugly*.

For an actor, every nomination could be the last, and it was no easy feat for the lead actress of *Ugly* to secure her role and earn this nomination.

At least when Lu Xu himself was nominated, he didn't want to lose to factors outside of his performance.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Cheng Chi asked Lu Xu, his expression tinged with surprise.

He had assumed that being the youngest, Lu Xu would be the easiest to persuade, but Lu Xu remained firm in his decision.

Lu Xu nodded.

With this, *Ugly* had already secured three votes. The judge who had been lobbying for *Innocent Fate* looked rather displeased, but regardless of his thoughts, the outcome of Best Actress for *Ugly* was now certain.

"Could you think about it a bit more? Personally, I still lean towards *Innocent Fate*. The ending of *Ugly*... doesn't really have much educational value."

The other judge tried to persist but was cut off by another judge's remark, "We're not making educational warning films here."

That settled any further objections.

Serving as a judge, Lu Xu learned a great deal. At the very least, he gained a clear understanding of the award selection process for the Controversy Prize. He had initially thought being a judge would be an easy task, but now he realized it was far from simple.

Lobbying from various production teams and talent agencies did exist; Lu Xu received numerous calls during the process, giving him a firsthand look at the "personal connections" side of the entertainment industry.

While Lu Xu currently had no need to seek favors, it didn't mean he would never need to in the future.

Of course, the fact that the lead actress of *Innocent Fate* engaged in public relations efforts didn't mean *Ugly* wouldn't do the same. Ultimately, the awards were based on the quality of the films. While the behind-the-scenes competition among companies was significant, if a film lacked solid merit, it would be difficult for judges to cast a vote against their conscience.

Moreover, each judge viewed performances from different perspectives. Lu Xu himself approached it from an actor's standpoint, and the clash of these different viewpoints was itself quite intriguing.

...

The nominations for the Controversy Award have been announced, and the winners are almost set in stone. Finally, this year's nominations for the Golden Flame Award have also been released.

The moment he saw the list of nominees, Lu Xu fell silent.

It can only be said that almost all the films entered for the Golden Flame Award were also entered for the Controversy Award, but not all the films entered for the Controversy Award were entered for the Golden Flame Award. This gave this year's Golden Flame Award nominations a somewhat thin feel.

In terms of lineup, it indeed fell short compared to the Controversy Award.

Lu Xu couldn't help but ask, "Didn't they say Liu Renong has great interpersonal relationships?"

"This is the audience's perception, not necessarily everyone in the industry's," Xu Wen asked Lu Xu, "When you went against Liu Renong, did any of the directors you know try to dissuade you?"

"…No." Lu Xu couldn't help but emphasize again,

Only after his agent reminded him did Lu Xu realize that despite Liu Renong being such a formidable figure, no one had actually approached Lu Xu to ask him not to go against Liu Renong.

Everyone was surprisingly quiet.

Lu Xu thought about it and understood. While Liu Renong was indeed well-connected in the industry, it didn't mean that other directors and production teams approved of his methods.

At least for this year's Golden Flame Award, many colleagues in the industry expressed their dissatisfaction with last year's Golden Flame Award through their actions.

After all, the Golden Flame Award wasn't the only choice for production teams. Besides, Lu Xu had an endorsement contract, so he generally wouldn't wear competing brands in public. However, since he was attending the Controversy Award event, and the Controversy Award also had fixed brand partnerships, Lu Xu showcased a new model of the sponsor's phone on the red carpet and took a photo with a large logo of another brand.

"…Very calculated."

"Ha, if no one else participates, they're counting on Lu Xu to show up, right?"

The sponsors were overjoyed, especially when Lu Xu posted a new selfie on Weibo, which immediately went viral.

Since Lu Xu was nominated these past two years, the attention on the Controversy Award has skyrocketed. The organizers clearly understood this; with Lu Xu winning two awards, the Controversy Award kept trending one after another. This year, *Night Sky* exploded, and the hashtag #ControversyAward'sChoice stayed at the top of the trending list all night, earning it an impeccable reputation.

Given that Lu Xu rarely posts new selfies, the photos taken with the sponsor's phone were his first in nearly two years. The phone was already renowned for its excellent camera quality, and combined with Lu Xu's close-up selfies on Weibo, the search volume for the phone soared.

Lu Xu's red carpet look wasn't meticulously prepared, as he was just one of the judges, not a nominee. However, ... he had a knack for making headlines, and from the moment he stepped onto the red carpet, his name remained on the trending list.

Of course, during the award ceremony, Lu Xu was quite low-key. The camera occasionally panned to him, but it didn't stay focused on him for long.

This year, there was little controversy over the Best Actor and Supporting Actor awards, but the Best Actress category was a different story. From the start of the award season, there had been ongoing debates about whether the award would go to *Ugly* or *Innocent Fate*.

Industry predictions leaned towards the latter.

But if the Controversy Award chose the former, it wouldn't be surprising either.

After all, Lu Xu had already won two Best Actor trophies, and from this perspective, the Controversy Award wasn't entirely conservative.

"The winner is—*Ugly*!"

The lead actress of *Ugly* looked shocked, while the lead actress of *Innocent Fate*, though still smiling, couldn't hide her disappointment.

Despite *Innocent Fate* being favored by many, and despite her having countless reasons to win, she still didn't get the award.

"From this angle, the Golden Flame Award and the Controversy Award stand for completely different values."

"After last year's Golden Flame Award incident, the Controversy Award is now widely recognized as the top among the three major awards. Even though the Controversy Award isn't perfect, its choices have convinced the audience."

"Congratulations to *Ugly*. All the actors were great, and I think any of them could have won, but *Ugly* felt stronger to me. The Controversy Award has many options, but it ultimately chose the performance itself."

"Great, great, great!!"

At the press conference following the Contention Award ceremony, reporters pursued Lu Xu's feelings about being a judge. Cheng Chi intervened, blocking their questions: "This is Lu Xu's first time here. If you scare him away, what if he doesn't dare to come back next time?"

Lu Xu gave some standard responses, mostly about fairness and impartiality. His answers were very official, and traditional media reported them as such, while marketing accounts extrapolated from his responses to last year's Golden Flame Award, suggesting that Lu Xu was "likely criticizing the Golden Flame Award."

Lu Xu: "..."

Forget it, let them report whatever they want.

As time went on, the conflict between him and the Golden Flame Award did not diminish but rather deepened.

But unless he stopped making films or participating in the other two of the three major awards, the discussions would never cease.

Moreover—soon after the Contention Award, the Golden Flame Award was set to take place.

This year, fewer films were entered into the Golden Flame Award compared to previous years, and the level of discussion was far less intense. Sponsorships were secured, but the atmosphere was noticeably less lively.

"How will we manage next year if this continues?"

Before the award ceremony, a certain marketing account went wild with hype, publishing an article titled "On the Decline of the Golden Flame Award."